Very
at some of our fans, and fans of other schools in regards to the LHN.
If K-State agrees to play them, and it's going to be a pretty big game, I can see it being broadcast on one of the ESPN channels. If it's not going to be a relatively big game, then who cares? It may turn into a nice pay day for a game where there may not have been one.
The LHN simply is the status quo only with Texas having their own network. Does it matter if Texas is able to sign 20 5 star guys instead of 18 (the rest 4 star, or high 3 star)? Does it matter if Texas makes $80 million more than just about everybody else instead of the $60 or $70 million more they make now?
The whole attitude about the LHN is both
and
at the same time.
Do the right thing Currie, if we can get a good TV payday for a ROAD game, do it . . . DO IT!!!
This is crazy talk. Last year, the Longhorns limped into Manhattan with a 4-4 record, having just lost back-to-back home games to Baylor and Iowa State. The game was televised nationally on ESPN. Has a K-State vs Texas game ever NOT been televised nationally? (Hint: no)
Why would we want to move our game with them from a national telecast on a big name network, to a small statewide telecast on a largely derided network? How does that give us more exposure? How is it better for us to play a game that is seen on TV by 100,000 LHN subscribers in the state of Texas instead of being seen by 10,000,000 college football fans around the country? Regardless of which network it appears on, will ESPN preview the game on College Gameday? (yes) Will ESPN show highlights of it either way on their College Gameday final? (yes)
Even Fox Sports Net would give us FAR more exposure than the LHN. FSN is in about 85 million households nationwide. LHN is currently in 0 households. I don't expect it to stay at zero, but neither do I expect it to ever come even slightly close to 85 million, and certainly not this year.
I see zero advantages to playing on LHN except for money. And the rumored $500,000 isn't anywhere close to the amount it would have to be for me to consider moving a game from ESPN to LHN. That number needs to have a 7th digit before I even start to consider talking to them about it.
Texas' share of the $300 million contract is $11 million per year (the other $4 million goes to their partner IMG). A K-State vs Texas football game would be BY FAR the premiere sporting event on the LHN all year (side note: this tells you all you really need to know about LHN...). Given that, shouldn't we expect a very large percentage of their revenue for the year? 25% does not seem unreasonable. $10,980,000 revenue x 25% = $2,745,000. Round it to $2.75 million and they've got themselves a deal. Otherwise, we'll be content with playing them on ABC or ESPN yet again.